The Big Shot is a vertical tower ride. It is on top of The Stratosphere Hotel/casino/observation tower/amusement park. The Stratosphere is the tallest observation tower in the USA. (1,149' tall) The Big Shot shoots riders up 160' at speeds of 45 mph. It is fast, fun, rerideable, it has a large capacity, and a long duration. It also gives a nice view of the Las Vegas area.

When it comes to these S&S vertical tower rides, I must admit that I am a bigger fan of the Space Shot versions. In fact, when its a combo tower, I will head to the space shot side first every time. Big Shot is your standard S&S Space Shot, and it is of a modest height at about 160 feet. The ride produces fantastic airtime at the top of the launch, as is the standard with these types of rides. If it were on the ground, I would be giving it a healthy 8 for its fine thrills at a modest height. However, Big Shot gets a 2 point bump to a full ten for three reasons - location, location, location!! This bad boy sits at a staggering 921 feet above the ground, near the very TOP of the Stratosphere Tower in Vegas! The visuals on the ride are nothing short of unbelievable, and I rode at night which was simply amazing! When launched from that high of a starting point, it feels as though youre just going to keep flying up to the moon! The folks at the Stratosphere certainly brought their "A" game when adding their thrill rides, and this one is no exception. This is simply a must for any thrill seekers who make the trip to Vegas. Big Shot is a phenominal tower ride that delivers a great ride, copious airtime, and the hands-down BEST view found on any thrill ride around!

The ride itself is very standard, nothting too thrilling and not the best of its kind, but its also better than some. The ride itself would get a 5 from me if it wasnt nearly 1000 feet above the Vegas Strip, the incredible view alone (I managed to sit on the south side so I could see the row of mega-casinos) adds an easy two points, perhaps more if I decide to come back later and re-rate.

Well, I agree with folks that the views on this are excellent. No better view could ever be found on a thrill ride. Theres some great airtime at the top, and the anticipation builds up as you get on the ride. I also like the forces it produces. But there is one downside. Its too short. For the worlds highest thrill ride, it may disappoint some folks a bit. This was one of the things I saw from my hotel room at TI. Big Shot and High Roller went together like milk and cookies for some reason, but High Roller is gone. Dont miss riding Big Shot if youre ever at the Stratosphere.

This ride was both exhiliterating and terrifying. It wouldnt have been very intense at all if it was on the ground, but since it was ON TOP OF A 1000 FT TOWER it was incredibly intense. It was particularly scary for me because I went on it when it was lightening outside--it was literally forks of lightning every second, and we were on a metal pole on the highest point in Las Vegas! They had to shut the ride down after we went--pretty scary! My favorite part was when you hovered at the top for a few seconds.

Tower rides like this are pretty basic. Youve got your lift n drop model, or your space shot model (launch up in a quick blast, then drop). Either one is a good adrenaline rush + kinda fun, but almost all such rides are identical. A difference of a few feet in height is negligible. Ive only been on 2 that managed some uniqueness. One was Tower of Terror, and Big Shot was the other. On the ground, Biggie would be your utterly average ride, but its dropped down on top of the tallest building in Las Vegas. At the top of the ride, youre WAY the heck up there, about 1,000 feet above the ground. Moreso than any other tower, this really gives the feel of being up there in the sky, cause there is nothing around you but empty air. And the view of the LV valley is spectacular, especially at night, when the whole place is like a crazy Xmas tree. Its pricey (everything in LV is), but not terribly so for this town, and the admission cost includes the observation deck. The Stratosphere is way up on the far north end of the strip, but worth stopping at, especially if youre en route to downtown.

I really enjoyed this ride. It was a beautiful day as well. The ride was closed when I first got there due to high winds. Fortunately, it reopened before I left the Stratosphere. It had a terrific launch and quite a few bounces up and down. Of course, the view is always a plus. Definitely tops Dr Dooms ride in IoA.

The Big Shot may very well be one of the most exciting rides ever created. A 100-or-so-foot space shot tower would not normally be anything to write home about, but when you put the tower on top of another 1000-foot tower, you elevate this (literally) to a whole new level. I love the anticipation of waiting to be launched, the rush of the launch itself, the forceful drop back down, and the incredible view you get from any seat. Even if you are not facing the Strip, being this high makes for a stunning vantage point. What with this and X Scream, the Stratosphere gets my vote, hands down, for the best thrill ride stop in Vegas.

This was a pretty boring tower ride but the view was incredible. We rode this on a foggy night and the view was so coool! At the top of the tower we popped up above the clouds. We could see the hotels lights twinkling below us through the cloud. As for the ride itself, the launch is boring but you get some good airtime. A bit of a thrill.

This ride is AWESOME. You MUST go to the Stratosphere to ride it. My heart was POUNDING before the launch. Id give it a 10 if the ride had more launches and If you didnt have to pay $9 for the elevator admission and $8 to ride.